At least nine people, including Nalchhiti Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Pratik Kumar Kundu, were injured after a speedboat crashed into a riverbank during a fisheries drive in the Sugandha River in Jhalakathi on Friday night.
The accident occurred at around 8:30pm in the river area adjacent to Kangsar Dighir Par.
According to sources at the District Fisheries Department, the fisheries drive was organized by the upazila administration under the leadership of UNO Pratik Kumar Kundu.
Team members participating in the drive, including the UNO, were patrolling the river aboard the speedboat.
The crash occurred at around 8:30pm when the speedboat developed a mechanical defect in its gear system, causing the vessel to slam into the riverbank at high speed.
Following the crash, local residents assisted in rescuing the victims and transporting them to the Nalchhiti Upazila Health Complex.
On-duty physicians at the health complex applied five stitches to the UNO’s head, while medical care was also administered to the other injured individuals.
The speedboat driver, Md Ashraful, was subsequently transferred to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal for advanced medical treatment.
The other injured persons were identified as Ansar members Jasim and Rezaul, alongside Shahadat Fakir, Jishan, Millat, Sifat, and Rayhan, who are members of the local voluntary organisation ‘Volunteers of Nalchhiti’.
